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A young Ifugao boy dreamed of touching the sky. He would spend hours watching and pretending to catch the clouds that float by.

Were they really that far away?

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isang batang nangarap maabot ang langit.
istoryang patungkol sa magandang likha ng tao.
ang Hagdan-hagdan Palayan.
Basahin nyo rin. Kung panong natuwa ako
Ganun din sana kayo.

dito mo basahin ang storya
the boy who touched heaven

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illustration by : Rodel Tapaya-Garcia


“Ang Batang Maraming Bawal” is the winner of CANVAS’ second annual Romeo Forbes Children’s Storywriting Competition, and is a simple tale of innocent hope and imagination.

Written originally in Filipino, our biggest difficulty was the title, for which we could not find any appropriate translation.

Suggested English titles like “The Boy Who Couldn’t Do Much,” “The RX Kid,” “The Boy Who Couldn’t” or, what probably is the closest translation, “The Boy Who Wasn’t Allowed to Do a Lot of Things” – all couldn’t capture the spirit and humor of the original title.

In the end, we chose the easiest solution, which was to simply refuse to translate the title.

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story by Agay Llanera
illustration by Farley del Rosario


The story of "Sol" was a finalist in CANVAS' very first storywriting competition. Agay Llanera's lyrical and enchanting prose made it easy for CANVAS to decide on the story's publication as a children's book. The only challenge left was to find the appropriate artist to bring the tale to life, and Farley del Rosario was an inspired choice.

Their collaboration in this project again validates CANVAS' effort to encourage and foster a closer connection between art and literature, and in the process, to create meaningful opportunities for our country's young, and extremely talented writers and artists.

CANVAS is very proud to present "Sol," an original story of love, music and light.

BERNARD VISTA was born Pakil, Laguna, and went to the University of Santo Tomas for a degree in Fine Arts. It was in college where he associated with other dynamic artists from Laguna, such as Edwin Tres Reyes and Bayani Ray Acala, also from Pakil. A scholar of the Saturday Group Painters Association, he was also a university varsity swimmer throughout college, thus subsidizing his studies at the Pontifical University.

Vista found work as illustrator for children’s books, honing a style that best suited the needs of the various publications. For his achievement, he won the PBBY Illustrators Prize, third prize in the national competition.

Vista has actively participated in many group shows particularly those organized by Galerie Joaquin. His first major solo exhibition September of last year entitled “Biyaya (Blessings)” marked his entry in the lime light of arts as he gained recognition for his larger than life depictions of the Filipino way of life.

Vista highlighted the rich customs and traditions of Filipinos passed on from one generation to the next. Inspired by the rural scenes of his hometown, he puts on canvas the humble countenance of his people, human figures of fisher folks and farmers, characteristic of their passion for life and oneness with the bounties of nature. His portrayals of men and women possess a glimmer of indescribable peace, contentment, and strength of inner spirit while the activities and details by which his subjects are immortalized solidify the Filipinos’ sense of enjoyment and admirable trait of counting their blessings.

By: Joanna Marie Grace Romero

Unlike other artists whose inception and acceptance in the art scene took long and grueling years to realize, budding artist Vincent de Pio was among the Fortunate ones to make it a few steps ahead, with the visual world introduced to him early on in his childhood. Raised by one of the leading portraitist in the country, Gig de Pio, Vincent was already mindful of art’s influence in his upbringing and environment.

The artist recalls with much eagerness how at the tender age of four he would fill his afternoons drawing cars on sheets of paper for leisure, with his charcoal and pencil and with hardly any efforts. As he grew older, his interests and subjects varied, from dinosaurs to old churches when he turned six, to sculpture when he reached his adolescence.

Although the pressure to prove his artistic abilities to immediate family and friends was already mounting in high school, he barely envisioned himself following the footsteps of his father who was a professor at the University of the Philippines College of arts. Vincent took art merely as an interest leaving a dream for his other siblings to pursue.

Fate took turn around, however when the young man went into college and successfully completed a talent workshop at the UP College of Fine Arts. “I saw the strokes of my dad in my work and I noticed that I was motioning my brush effortlessly on canvas,” shares Vincent. It was then he began absorbing himself in figuration and realism, slowly moving away from his father’s intimidating shadow.

He chose not to be fulltime artist immediately after college. He was still caught a little in between conflicting ideas: whether to completely pursue art and become a fulltime painter or take a completely different path. In between selling cars, he would occasionally paint, and at most produce four pieces in a year. He was comfortable with the rate hi was going, producing works of fisher folks, characterized by an abstract minimalist backdrop, with the influence of realism.

People appreciate his works; his paintings emitted heavy emotions and character. The lines and strokes of his figures and his dark color palette somehow reflected the state of being the he was in. He was going through artist’s dark period, struggling for his identity and place in the world of art.

Soul Searching

On his own, Vincent went to Zamboanga to find what he desired to convey on canvas. There, the 26-year-old painter began his artistic explorations uncovering styles and techniques he would later enhance and use in full swing. “I can’t vividly recall how my very first painting after Zamboanga titled The Prayer made its debut in an exhibition in homage to the late Onib Olmedo at Galerie Joaquin,” recounts the younger de Pio. The painting in monochrome green about a man trying to God is among his many pieces that attracted the attention of art critics and collectors.

Vincent was ecstatic. He could hardly believe that even his second work titled Sabungero appealed to a prominent figure who attended the show.


Seeing his accomplishments, his father encourages him to continue working on his form and strokes. Back then, his paintings already possess its highly textured quality. As he experimented further on canvas, his distinct styles gradually emerged. “All of a sudden, I was already flushing paint on my canvas, dripping striking tones over solid blacks,” he relays. “My strokes came in full motion. I began employing a painting style wherein I paint my previous works as background to my succeeding paintings so I cant project my evolution as an artist on canvas.” By this, he enable viewers a glimpse of his previous artworks.

Ballerina and Cellists

It was during two of the painting sessions sponsored by Galerie Joaquin – one on ballerinas and another on cellists – where Vincent discovered his fondness for classical art. He was instantly captivated by the ballerinas who posed before them – their exceptional beauty and elegance rendered uniquely on his canvas. He fell in love his cellist, too. It was as if he was leaving his own paradise when he started painting them.

“I tried to be spontaneous as possible. As always begin my work with a black base using a fan brush. As soon as it touches the canvas, I let my hand take control of my strokes. I wasn’t my strokes to be free flowing to indicate motion and music. People who see my works want to touch it. I play on texture to make my figures appear larger-than-life.”

Moving forward

Early this year, Vincent joined an art competition in water medium on paper sponsored by Metrobank. With 25 other semifinalists from all over the Philippines vying for the grand prize, he submitted a nude painting in acrylic titled Filipina Unveiled symbolizing the Filipino’s widening perception and acceptance on modern art. It also projects struggles as a figurative expressionist in Philippine contemporary setup. (The Metrobank awarding ceremony will be held on September 28). Although overwhelmed by the amazing response of collectors and critics on his current subject matters, Vincent continues to further explores his subject. “I want to people to recognize me for my style and technique so I can move from one subject matter to another.”

story by Becky Bravo
illustration by Elmer Borlongan


“The Rocking Horse” is a collaboration of two of the best artistic and literary talents of the country -- Elmer Borlongan and Becky Bravo. It is the result of a unique creative process.
It all started with Elmer Borlongan's "The Rocking Horse." This painting was used as the inspiration in a widely publicized children's storywriting contest that received over 80 entries from Filipinos all over the world. This maiden competition, now renamed the Romeo Forbes Children's Storywriting Competition, was won by multiple Palanca Award winner Becky Bravo. Her winning story was, in turn, fully illustrated by Elmer Borlongan.


All of Elmer's paintings were showcased as a major solo exhibition in June 2006. The book will be co-published by CANVAS and UST Publishing House and will be launched in early October 2006. Proceeds from the sale of the artworks and books will be used to support the annual storywriting competition and other CANVAS initiatives to promote broader awareness, appreciation for, and access to Philippine art, culture and environment.

APOCALYPTICA
A DECADE OF REINVENTING THE CELLO

Eicca Toppinen, Paavo Lotjonen, Perttu Kivilaakso


APOCALYPTICA are a singular voice in music. From their days as a cover band in Finland to one of the most original metal bands in history, they've long since left their days as a musical curiosity behind them. Sold out venues the world over say it all - the band that closed the chasm between Shostakovich and Metallica, between concert halls and rock venues - has become one of the most respected groups on the planet. At last, they're releasing recorded document of their remarkable rise to fame. '"Amplified - A Decade of Reinventing the Cello" is a retrospective testament to the first ten years of a soaring career that no one, not even them, could have predicted. And with their upcoming "The Life Burns Tour" DVD, they've got even more goods to prove it.

"I get the impression that most journalists decided years ago whether or not they would ever like us," says Eicca Toppinen, APOCALYPTICA'S primary composer. "Some of them think we're just a joke and they anxiously anticipate justification every time we release a new album. But our music is much more complex than people think. We're doing something new, which causes a confusion that then transforms either into rejection or fondness." Fortunately for Toppinen, he's Finnish enough (read: clever and stubbornly ambitious) to overlook such short-sightedness. But if APOCALYPTICA'S music leaves some people confused, they make no apologies. The raw energy and excitement of their live shows - all played and finger-shredding speed and without the help of sheet music - is a sound to behold.
"It definitely feels good to hear such things, especially from musicians that might have laughed at us in the beginning," says Toppinen. "But we don't allow ourselves to be too influenced by that, just as we don't get too distracted by the negative criticism of a few disgruntled detractors. I was afraid that would go to our heads and start to influence the band. We are all rather normal people and we intend to remain so."

It's just that kind of resilience that's made Toppinen an inspiration to countless young, aspiring classical musicians around the world who see classical and popular music as mutually-exclusive pursuits. "We've managed to change something in people's consciousness," he says. "Of course it's been the case for a long time that playing the cello isn't exactly the hippest thing a kid can do. With chamber music and orchestral theory you have to study and practice daily while other kids the same age are playing soccer or going to dances. Anyone serious about playing an instrument is considered to be a weirdo and has a difficult time being accepted. But we've brought a free spirit back to classical. For students at Sibelius Academy, it is very normal to try out some Jimi Hendrix on the side. That's actually how APOCALYPTICA came to be. We didn't plan it that way - it just happened."

So imagine for a moment the surprise people felt at the first sight of Perrtu Kivilaakso strutting about the stage, a psychedelic shirt on his back, shredding to Sepultura's classic "Inquisition Symphony".

The story of APOCALYPTICA'S 1996 debut "Apocalyptica Plays Metallica by Four Cellos" was an unlikely story. Four students from the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki gathered to play Metallica covers at the Teatro Heavy Metal Club. Unbeknownst to them, Kari Hynninen - from the tiny independent label Zen Garden Records - was in the audience and signed them on the spot. Unfortunately Eicca Toppinen, Paavo Lötjönen, Max Lilja, and Antero Manninen were more interested in completing their studies and, like millions of other young people, only listened to Metal music in their spare time. The situation wasn't helped by the fact that Hynninen didn't have any money for regular studio time. APOCALYPTICA were consigned to fiddling late at night or in the early morning hours, but their efforts paid off when Metallica's record label, Mercury, caught wind of the project and offered worldwide distribution. To date, they've sold over a million copies of their debut album. Not bad for a band that started as a distraction from more 'serious' pursuits.

But by the time of their 1998 follow-up, "Inquisition Symphony", APOCALYPTICA were out for blood. Hiili Hiilesma, the man responsible for producing HIM's "Greatest Lovesongs Vol. 666," yanked the band out of the classical niche to altogether by modernising APOCALYPTICA'S sound. In addition to their more traditional Metallica covers, the covers, it features renditions of classic Sepultura, Faith No More, and Pantera tracks. Toppinen also added three of his own compositions to the release, which perfectly dovetail with those ambitious re-workings, like their neck-snapping cover of Metallica's "Fight Fire With Fire". On their subsequent "Cult" tour, they began appearing up as a wild gang of head bangers clad in patent leather - the metal/classical crossover was complete.

APOCALYPTICA'S third release also saw the introduction of Perttu Kivilaakso, who replaced Antero Manninen. The young Kivilaakso - highly trained and a Metal fan to the core - brought new qualitied to APOCALYPTICA. "I'm a solo cellist in the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra with a lifetime contract, basically on a very extended vacation," he says.
"I love to try new things and to explore myself musically in every conceivable direction. The highpoint of my career was accompanying Luciano Pavarotti during his performance in Helskini. I love Italian operettas."

With more than 500 concerts - most of which were sold out - in over 60 countries (including Mexico, Russia, Japan, and the USA), APOCALYPTICA were quickly becoming Finland's top musical export. Unfortunately, that skyrocketing success overwhelmed founding member Max Lilja, who left the band prior to the release of 2003's "Reflections". The remaining trio soldiered on, composing 13 straightforward songs, with arrangements refined by the addition of piano, trumpet, double bass, and violins, and recorded with two drummers. Slayer legend Dave Lombardo provideed the light-handed beats under compelling thrash numbers, with reknown ex-Stratovarius jazz sticksman Sami Kuoppamäki taking over for the album's groovier components. But "Reflections" was more than an experimental release - it also revealed the band's temporary state of insecurity. "It's about us - the frightened young men from Helsinki who have grown up. It's a confrontation that takes the music business along with it. We had a lot of problems on the 'Cult' tour and 'Reflections' was supposed to get us back into shape. We almost got bored of the band and were as close as we could have come to breaking up."

But to APOCALYPTICA, it was that experience that made "Reflections" such a powerful album. And with their last release, 2005's "Apocalyptica," the three Finns upped the ante even further. Never overextending themselves beyond four minute compositions and serrated by drummer Mikko Sirén's pummeling attack the overall strength of the material was enough to overshadow Dave Lombardo's presence on one of the tracks. But no one could overlook HIM's Ville Valo and The Rasmus' Lauri Ylönen's vocal duel on the release's first single "Bittersweet," which was accompanied with a video from acclaimed Finnish director Antti Jokinen.

When they're not busy, APOCALYPTICA have also become sought-after session musicians, and they've added their talents commercials, video games, motion pictures, and theater productions. And well-known vocalists are more than happy to be invited by the three cellists to lend their talents to a new single. For their upcoming "Amplified - A Decade of Reinventing the Cello" retrospective they invited Brazilian Metal legend MAX CAVALERA (Soulfly, ex-Sepultura) and MATT TUCK from the UK's skyrocketing Bullet for My Valentine to collaborate, both of whom are jewels in the crown of the album's stellar guest vocalists. It's just a teaser for their new album, due to be released next year.

They may confound some and inspire others, but whatever you make of them, APOCALYPTICA are originals, and theirs has been a rock 'n' roll fairy tale come true.

Apocalyptica:
Eicca Toppinen
Perttu Kivilaakso
Paavo Lötjönen
Mikko Sirén